AUTOMOTIVE AMERICANA ON DISPLAY IN LONDON CONCOURS’ THE COLLECTOR FEATURE

AUTOMOTIVE AMERICANA ON DISPLAY IN LONDON CONCOURS’ THE COLLECTOR FEATURE

The London Concours, presented by Montres Breguet, will each year shine a light on one individual’s car collection; revealing the personal stories and immense passion behind it. This year, London Concours’ The Collector is London-based, Julian Balme, showcasing a selection of legendary automotive Americana – think hot rods and big block V8s!

Setting the tone nicely is a 1932 Ford Model B Roadster, converted into a hot rod by a Californian father and son in the ‘60s. Like the AC Cobra, the1932 Ford Model B has been replicated many times but this is one of only a handful of cars in the UK that began life in one of Henry Ford's US factories 87 years ago.

Or even more audacious; the Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon ‘Gasser’. What started life as a regular 'grocery-getter' up until 1969, was turned into a 'gasser' competition drag racer, which needed to run on regular fuel and have working headlights. Its 7.0-litre V8 produces 540hp – enough to complete the quarter-mile in 13 seconds flat.

Then there’s the very special Lincoln Continental Cabriolet; the rarest car in Julian's collection. Only 350 were built in 1940, the very first year of production, and this Continental is the only one in the UK – the only other existing example is in Europe.

A beautiful 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 is bringing some LA cool to the Honourable Artillery Company, powered by a lazy 6.3-litre V8. It was used to contest VSCC’s Pomeroy Trophy, the Nostalgia Drags and the first Scottish Malts Rally. And competition is a theme among Julian’s collection, which also includes a 4.7-litre V8 Falcon Sprint – twice a finisher at the Spa Six Hours – and ‘Wooly Bully’, a Lincoln Cosmopolitan which competed in the re-running of the legendary Carrera Panamericana.

But any car collection will be sprinkled with those very special cars that hold a sentimental value greater than any amount of money. A selection of these will form part of Julian’s collection at London Concours, including a Lotus Elan Plus 2S that he bought just weeks after passing his driving test. In the 36 years Julian has owned it, the Elan has had two engine rebuilds, a chassis change and a respray.

Andrew Evans, London Concours Director, said: “We always want our The Collector feature to be quite a personal selection. Every car collector is passionate about something, and I hope it’s clear for anyone to see that Julian’s very fond of the lazy V8s and hot rod culture that took hold of America for decades, and to a certain extent still does. What we want to show here is that car collections are just as much about the cars that mean the most to you as the ones that cost the most; that’s why sprinkled in amongst the line-up are some lovely personal stories, including not only Julian’s first ever car, a Lotus Elan, but also the most recent car added to his collection, a TriumphTR4.”

With an offering of nearly 100 automotive icons from the modern day to the early 20thCentury, the Honourable Artillery Company’s glorious five-acre lawn will be transformed into a motoring utopia between 5-6 June. There will be special classes dedicated to the finest Ferraris and finest Jaguars ever built, an ‘Italian Job’ celebration featuring seven Lamborghini Miuras and a display of the greatest automotive ‘Icons’.

But London Concours is not just about the cars on display; it’s an automotive garden party complete with art from Collier & Dobson and Ella Freire, drinks from Rémy Martin and Veuve Clicquot, and fashion from Neapolitan tailors, Isaia.

The London Concours 2019 takes place from 5-6 June. Tickets are available to buy now from www.londonconcours.co.uk/tickets

FOOTMAN JAMES TO SPONSOR 'THE ICONS' CLASS AT LONDON CONCOURS

 

FOOTMAN JAMES TO SPONSOR 'THE ICONS' CLASS AT LONDON CONCOURS

Collector and classic car insurance specialist, Footman James, will sponsor ‘The Icons’ class at London Concours (5-6 June 2019) in association with Azur.

Lining up on the Honourable Artillery Company lawns during the London Concours on 5-6 June 2019 will be a collection of automotive icons, each representing the stand-out car of their era. ‘The Icons’ class will be sponsored by leading automotive insurance specialist, Footman James, in association with Azur.

‘The Icons’ concours class is a carefully curated selection of cars that each represent innovation, design or performance for their era. Cars already announced within ‘The Icons’ category include The Land Rover Series I, original Mini, Jaguar E-Type and Lamborghini Countach.

A must-attend event in the global collector car calendar, the upcoming London Concours is organised by Thorough Events, the team behind the Concours of Elegance. It will be hosted again at the Honourable Artillery Company in the UK capital, bringing together the world’s most important manufacturers, collectors and specialists within the collector car industry.

The sponsorship announcement follows Footman James’ formal partnership with Azur, who provides specialist Private Client cover for Footman James. Insuring high net worth car collections, as well as offering protection for homes and high-end single car cover, the Footman James Private Client package is aimed at high net worth individuals (HNWIs) that don’t have ‘off-the-shelf’ insurance requirements. Azur is a bespoke insurance broker based in London and an official partner of the London Concours.

Discussing the London Concours announcement, David Bond, Managing Director at Footman James said, “The London Concours brings together the great minds, collectors and iconic cars of our industry. The sponsorship of ‘The Icons’ class further underlines our relationships with great partners, including Azur and London Concours, as well as our clients and commitment to celebrate the very best cars available today.”

In total, almost 100 automotive greats of all eras will be on display on the idyllic lawns of the Honourable Artillery Company HQ when the London Concours rolls into the City from 5-6 June 2019. Curated across seven distinct classes, including ‘The Outlaws’ and ‘The Innovators’, London Concours is the ultimate automotive summer garden party.

The full list of ‘Icons’ on display:

Bentley 4.5-Litre Blower
Citroen DS
Ferrari 288 GTO
Ferrari Dino 246 GT
Ferrari F40 LM
Ford GT40
Jaguar E-Type
Lamborghini Countach
Land Rover Series I
Mini
Porsche 911 2.7 RS
Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
Volkswagen Beetle

JAGUAR’S FINEST ON DISPLAY AT LONDON CONCOURS

JAGUAR’S FINEST ON DISPLAY AT LONDON CONCOURS

Jaguar's finest on display at London Concours

The London Concours, presented by Montres Breguet, will be hosting a special display of iconic Jaguar models in its ‘Great Marques – Jaguar’ class, presented by Truefitt and Hill. With a line-up of 10 of the finest cars to have ever rolled off the Jaguar assembly line, together they define what makes Jaguar an icon of the British automotive industry.

From success on the greatest race tracks in the world to cruising the sweeping boulevards of Hollywood, each car in this class has transcended generations to take its place on a list of the greatest Jaguars – and even the greatest cars – ever built.

Perhaps the most notorious British automotive icon is the Jaguar E-Type; the coveted model that Enzo Ferrari himself described as the ‘most beautiful car ever made’. Quickly identified as a must-have model amongst the world’s rich and famous, Jaguar produced 70,000 cars throughout its 14-year production run. Such was the majesty of the E-Type is that you were just as likely to see the car cruising through the South of France as you were to see its Lightweight brethren on the world’s racing tracks.

Moving through the decades, Jaguar’s eye-catching bodies have helped to create a legacy renowned for expert design. From the Malcolm Sayer-penned aerodynamic lines of the Jaguar E-Type, to the first road car to be made completely from carbon fibre, the XJR-15, Jaguar’s design team has played a substantial role in their classification as a ‘Great Marques’.

Jaguar’s long and illustrious history in motorsport has forever informed the evolution of their road cars. Nothing epitomises this more than the Jaguar XK120 - the world’s fastest production car at launch, and holder of a number of world speed records. And from the XK120 more motorsport success followed, perhaps most famously with the C-Type and D-Type – both of which will be at London Concours.

Although only 53 examples were built, the C-Type put Jaguar on the global motorsport map, with wins at Le Mans 24 Hours in both 1951 and 1953. During its latter win, the switch to disc brakes – a novel solution at the time – kick-started a revolution across the industry. The D-Type, meanwhile, marked out by its iconic finned design, secured three consecutive wins at Le Mans (in 1955, 56 and 57). the D-Type is perhaps the most famous racing Jaguar ever. So dominant were they at Le Mans, that in 1957 D-Types finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th.

But no Jaguar celebration would be complete without delving right back into the marque’s early history, including its time under the Swallow Sidecars badge. The London Concours will be displaying the SS1 Fixed Head Coupé, first revealed to the world at the 1931 London Motor Show. Only 158 were ever built.

Between 5-6 June, the Honourable Artillery Company HQ will be transformed into a motoring enthusiast’s paradise, with nearly 100 automotive greats spread across all eras, within the confines of the most luxurious lawn in the square mile. The seven carefully curated classes, including ‘The Icons’ and ‘The Outlaws’, make London Concours the ultimate automotive summer garden party.

Andrew Evans, London Concours Director, said: “Looking through the Jaguar back catalogue and trying to pick just 10 to represent all the countless innovations and beautiful designs of Jaguar is no mean feat. But after hours of debate, the London Concours Steering Committee settled on this incredible selection of Jaguars, forming one very special part of our event this year. The content doesn’t end with the cars either; we’ve got displays from Neopolitan tailors, ISAIA, fine watchmakers, Breguet and a luxury hospitality experience courtesy of Searcys, Mark Hix and Veuve Clicquot.”

The London Concours 2019 takes place from 5-6 June. Tickets are available to buy now from www.londonconcours.co.uk/tickets

The full list of cars on display in ‘Great Marques – Jaguar’ is:

Jaguar C-Type

Jaguar D-Type

Jaguar E-Type

Jaguar XK 120 Roadster (OTS)

Jaguar XK150 DHC

Jaguar MK1

Jaguar XJR-15

Jaguar Project 7

Jaguar SS1

Jaguar XJ6